A Fire in The Sand
by DianneRose2016
Summary: Full Summary and Warnings inside: When a badly injured Sasuke stumbles into the Sand Gaara is forced into a dark secret. When the true light about Sasuke leaving Konoha comes out it falls to Gaara and the Sand to protect him and keep him hidden from those that took him. Gaara now has a very traumatised Uchiha on his hands and war on the horizon.


_**A/N: I wanted to try my hand at a SasukeXGaara story for fun. So here is the first chapter. I don't know how long this story will be, but we'll see.**_

 _ **Summary: When a badly injured Sasuke stumbles into the Sand with kidnapped children Gaara is forced into a dark secret. When the true light about Sasuke leaving Konoha comes out it falls to Gaara and the Sand to protect him and keep him hidden from those that took him. But keeping Sasuke a secret is the easy part. He now has a very traumatized Uchiha on his hands and as he helps to put the broken man back together, Gaara finds himself falling for the last Uchiha. With a war on the horizon can they keep the other safe and still find the strength to be with the other? Or will the pressure be too much and destroy the newfound friendship?**_

 _ **Warnings: Mentions of torture, swearing, sexual situations later on in the story.**_

 _ **Make sure to check out my new site for any future updates to this story. Soon I will only be posting there!**_

 _ **Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!**_

 _ **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**_

Chapter 1

Sasuke stumbled through the deep sand to make his way towards safety. He had been traveling for days with ten children all under the age of ten. All of them were injured, dehydrated and malnourished, Sasuke included. It had been a hard few years on him, but he forced his body to keep moving. He was taking them back to the Sand. Sasuke had no idea how this was going to go over, but he was hoping Gaara wouldn't order his death without question. The children were all from the Sand and all of them had said how great Gaara was, which was completely different to what Sasuke saw of him. Sasuke had managed to escape the Sound with the children, he was terrified when they had to go around the Fire territory. The last thing he needed was to be spotted by any Konoha shinobi. Sasuke had no idea who he could trust or not. He could barely think anymore. He was so tired, all he wanted to do was sleep, but it wasn't safe. It was never safe to sleep. None of them were doing well, the kids were barely able to keep moving, but they had to. They all had to get inside the Sand and out of the open.

When they finally arrived at the top of the valley with Suna below Sasuke almost cried. They had finally made it. Sasuke had no idea what he was going to do now, but he was hoping that Gaara would show some mercy on him and let him leave. He had no idea where he would go, but he knew he couldn't be in Konoha. Sasuke closed his eyes trying to rest them a minute. They felt like they were on fire. He had been kept in a dark cell since he was in the Sound. The sun was very painful on his eyes and to make it worse he was losing his eyesight. He could barely see anything that wasn't a foot in front of him. He had to squint just to be able to see anything at all and it was killing his muscles that were already exhausted.

"We made it." A little seven year old girl said as her eyes filled with tears.

Sasuke didn't say anything, he didn't have the energy to. He continued forward, but now they were on the downslope of the valley. He also knew it wouldn't be long before the Sand shinobi would arrive. They got part way down the slope when Sasuke lost his footing and he fell and rolled down a good fifteen feet. The children carefully ran down after him, being used to the sand from growing up around it. Sasuke was barely conscious. He had to fight with everything in him to keep his eyes open. The sun was so hot it was getting harder to breathe. The constant pounding in his head was made worse from the fall. Sasuke just barely registered the children reaching him and the presence of a shinobi squad. Sasuke squinted and looked up, he tried to see if he could get a good look at who was there, but all he saw was a ball of sun. He was able to hear part of the conversation.

"Please, he helped up escape. Don't hurt him." A little boy said.

"He saved us." Another little girl added.

"He needs help, please." A little girl cried.

"Bring them to the hospital. I'll go and inform the Kazekage." Baki said.

Sasuke felt himself being roughly handled and placed on his feet. Sasuke swayed as the world spun, but the shinobi didn't care. The grip on his already injured arm was tightened and Sasuke was being dragged forward and down the hill. Sasuke had no idea what was going to happen, but he was hoping Gaara wouldn't sentence him to death. At this point though, Sasuke wasn't sure if he cared either way.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Gaara was sitting in his office with his siblings going over the village's situation. It had been three years almost now since he had taken over the village. Now at sixteen he was finding his way and getting better at dealing with unexpected things coming up. He was trying to grow the Sand village and make it into a strong Great Nation. The Sand village was on the smaller side compared to Konoha or the other Great Nations. Gaara was limited with the size of his village, because in order to expand it he would have to build outside of the valley walls. They were protected all around the outside of the village from the walls. Building outside of it would put his villagers at risk of ground attacks. That simply wasn't an option right now. Gaara was hopeful that one day it would be.

"What do we have on the missing children?" Gaara asked his siblings.

For the past year they had a spike in missing children. The children never went missing from within the village. The children were taken in another village within the Sand territory or on their way back to Suna. Within the past year close to a hundred children had been kidnapped, completely disappeared. Their parents were all left alive, but they knew nothing. The kidnappers were all different sizes, they all covered their faces and they all attacked at different times in the day and night. It was completely random and no ransoms had ever been demanded. Gaara had no idea what was going on, but these were his children and he would make sure that they were found one way or another.

"Nothing. We've gone over every abduction site, every witness, every case file we have. There is nothing to indicate who took them or where they are." Temari answered.

"No bodies have turned up either. If they are alive we have no idea where they could be. If they are dead, they could be buried anywhere. We don't even know if they are in the Sand." Kankuro added.

"A hundred children, don't just disappear into thin air . They were all taken the same way, this has to be an organization. Has there been any whispers about some secret organization?" Gaara asked.

"None that we have heard. I don't believe this organization is within our border. The desert makes us easier targets for abductions. I think they are taking these children and doing something with them, maybe selling them out to other criminals." Temari said.

"Which could explain why we can't find them. They could be on the other side of the world by now. We might never find them." Kankuro said sadly.

"That's unacceptable. These children need to be found, even if it is just their remains. I will not let my villagers go without answers or without closure. Whoever this organization is, they will continue to kidnap children until they are stopped. I'll contact the other Great Nations and see if they have a spike in missing children." Gaara said.

"They might have more information. We can send squads out to search the Sand Territory and see if there are any hidden hideouts that we're not aware of. Speak with local criminals to see if they have heard anything." Temari suggested.

"Do that. We need more information. These children are out there, somewhere someone knows something."

The sudden knock on the door as it opened cut off their conversation. They all saw that Baki walked into the room.

"Gaara-Sama, Uchiha Sasuke was just found coming down into Suna with ten of the missing children. All of them are on their way to the hospital."

"Sasuke? What the hell is he doing with the children?" Temari asked both shocked and confused.

"What are their conditions?" Gaara asked, as he stood.

"I was within the squad that found them. The children didn't look good, the Uchiha looked worse. They are being escorted to the hospital. The children did say that the Uchiha saved them."

"I thought he was in the Sound though." Kankuro said just as confused as the rest of them.

"Maybe Orochimaru had the children and Sasuke grew a conscience and freed them. Regardless, we'll have to notify Konoha and hold him in a cell until they can collect him." Temari said.

"I'll send word." Baki agreed.

"Not yet. I want to talk to him first. Something doesn't add up." Gaara said, as he headed out.

"What doesn't add up? He betrayed Konoha and joined forces with the Sound. What is there to talk about?" Kankuro said not impressed at all as they all followed Gaara out.

"How he found the children and why did he bring them back here himself? He could have sent them on their way with directions. I want to know why."

"But you have to send him back to Konoha. If the Hokage discovered you had Sasuke here and let him go they could see that as an act of betrayal and it will ruin all of the progress we have made with them." Temari pointed out.

"I'm not saying I wouldn't be contacting them or sending Sasuke back. I simply want the chance to speak with him first."

"It is your call Gaara-Sama. You need to tread very carefully with this though. It won't take long before word starts to spread about this situation." Baki advised.

"I will. Do we know who the children were?"

"I was able to get a positive ID on each of them. They are all under the age of ten and have been missing between a year to six weeks. Four boys, six girls. They all looked in rough condition from traveling this far. Some of the other children did look in worse conditions than the ones that weren't missing that long. None are in any condition to be going back home today."

"Hopefully someone will be able to tell us what happened. This might be what we need to break this case wide open." Temari said.

"I hope so. Too many children are missing and too many parents are living in hell each day they are gone." Baki said.

"We're down to ninety now. Maybe there is more at the Sound that Sasuke couldn't get out. Orochimaru could be behind all of this." Kankuro said.

"It's possible. We need to speak with Sasuke to see what he knows." Gaara said.

"He better be in a sharing mood." Kankuro said with an edge to his voice.

He didn't like Sasuke before, he definitely didn't like him now that he had betrayed his village. He would have liked nothing more than to beat the crap out of him and put Sasuke in his place. They arrived at the hospital and saw that nurses and doctors were running around trying to take care of the newly arrived children. Gaara didn't see Sasuke anywhere so he figured he was in a room. Before Gaara was able to go and ask someone a doctor came running over to him.

"Kazekage-Sama, I must speak with you about Uchiha Sasuke."

"Where is he Dr. Maki?" Gaara asked.

"He is being kept in a room, guarded by four shinobis. Which in my opinion is overkill. They won't allow me into the room. I need your permission to treat him. I understand he is an S-Class criminal, but he is seriously injured and in desperate need of medical care."

"Do whatever you need to to treat him." Gaara easily said.

"Including tests and scans?"

"Run whatever you need to for him to be cleared."

"Yes Sir." Dr. Maki said before he turned and started to run towards the direction of Sasuke's room.

"You sure about that?" Kankuro asked.

"Yes." Gaara simply said before he turned and headed for one of the rooms holding a child within it.

They had to wait thirty minutes before a child was cleared for them to speak with them. The four of them walked into the hospital room to see a ten year old boy sitting on the bed under the covers. His skin was red from being in the sun and he had dust covering some of it. He was also covered in different shades of bruising. This poor boy had been through something that would take him awhile to recover from. They all recognized that this little boy was Jai Nikko and had been missing for three months now.

"Kazekage-Sama, where's my parents?" Jai asked with tears in his eyes.

"I'm going to make sure that they come down. I need to speak with you first though, if you are feeling up to it."

"Ok." Jai said and it was clear he was trying to be brave. He had been in the academy when he was taken during a family trip.

"Do you remember being taken?" Gaara asked, as he went and sat down on the side of the bed. The others stood back slightly so they wouldn't overcrowd the poor boy.

Jai gave a nod as he spoke. "We were sleeping. It was late and we were all too tired to make the rest of the journey home. I was grabbed right out of my sleep roll. There were three of them, all wearing masks. The two took out my parents while the third had me. Dad tried, but they could fight. They put something over my mouth, it smelt funny. Everything went dark and then I woke up in this strange place."

"Do you know where they took you?"

Jai shook his head. "I was in this room with wood panels on the walls and ceiling. The floor was cement and I was sitting on the floor with my hands chained to this hook in the floor. I was there for about three days."

"Are you sure about that?" Temari asked.

"Yes Ma'am, they brought me food and water. Said I would get it every three days so I wouldn't get sick for the potentials."

"Potentials?" Kankuro asked.

"Buyers. They sold me to this man that looked more like a woman. He had long black hair and yellow snake like eyes. He wanted us all to call him Master, but I overheard one of his ninjas call him Orochimaru. I woke up in the cell in this hallway with other cells. They were all made of bars, like a jail cell. I could see the others, all ten of us."

"What did he want with you?"

"To run experiments on. He kept testing us all with different drugs and when we didn't want to do what he wanted he would hurt us. Some of the others got it worse. They would scream and beg him to stop. I don't know what he did to them, but he would starve us, keep us locked down there. Some of the others were barely hanging on. I don't know what he did to them. How long have I been gone for?" Jai was barely holding back the tears at this point. He just wanted his parents.

"Three months now. The doctor said you would make a full recovery, you just needed some rest and nutrients back into you. You are safe now. Can you tell me how you escaped?" Gaara asked gently.

"It was late at night, I know because when we got outside it was really dark. I didn't know who he was, not until a shinobi here told me. He didn't even talk, not one word the whole way."

"How did you know to go with him then?" Baki asked this time around.

"He unlocked our cells and then did this." Jai moved his head to indicate that he wanted someone to follow him in a specific direction. "He didn't even see if I would listen before he moved on to the next cell. Orochimaru had never taken all of us at once, I figured it was safe enough. He also looked worse than all of us. I was surprised he could even stand. He got us out of there and brought us back home. I hope he's ok."

"A doctor is looking him over, I'm sure he'll be fine with time. You said he didn't speak at all to you?" Gaara asked, that was a little odd. Most people would have told the children they were going home or to make comments on the journey about keeping up and asking if they were ok.

"No."

"You didn't find that odd?" Temari asked.

"Not really. I didn't even know if he could talk. Sometimes that happens. Mom always said that everyone is different. He might not be able to talk. Some of the others that were there the longest, they stopped talking too. They would only whisper if they had to say something. It made them nervous if any of us talked too loud down there. I didn't really care. He was saving us. I would have gone anywhere with him."

"Did you have any problems on the journey back? Any fights happen?" Gaara asked.

"No. He kept us to the deserted parts of each area. It took longer, but he seemed really nervous to be seen. That makes sense now. I really hope he's ok. He was so weak and he seemed to be sick. He had this horrible cough and he kept shaking. He really didn't look good." Jai said now even more worried about Sasuke.

"A very good doctor is taking care of him. I'm going to send word for your parents, they should be here shortly. You rest now and thank-you for your help." Gaara said, as he got up off the bed.

"Are the others going to be ok?"

"They are all being looked after. It's time for you to rest. You're safe now."

Jai gave a nod and he leaned back against the pillows. It was clear he was exhausted. They clearly didn't take much time for breaks on the journey back. Gaara had even more questions now though. Why was Sasuke so injured? Why didn't he talk? Can he talk? Where were the other children? What would Konoha do with Sasuke now? He had more questions than answers and that was something Gaara hated. He didn't need to know everything in the world, but he needed to know the important things This was very important and was affecting his village greatly. He would have no choice, but to wait and speak with Sasuke to see what he knew and what had happened. Things didn't feel right to Gaara about Sasuke's betrayal. If he left Konoha willingly, then why would he be so injured and rundown like Jai had said? Gaara didn't know Sasuke that well, but from the conversations he's had with Naruto, Sasuke was anal about his health. He didn't eat anything sugary or sweet. He made sure he got enough sleep at night, he ate right and trained his body. He wouldn't let it get rundown like that even if he was pushing himself harder to get stronger. It wasn't adding up and the only one holding those answers was Sasuke.

The four shinobi made their way out of the room and over in a corner to get out of the way to talk.

"Well that was different. I wonder why Sasuke got them out." Kankuro commented.

"We won't know until we can ask him. Was he really that injured though or was he playing some role? Orochimaru gets him to free the children and bring them here only for him to attack once here. This could be part of some inside attack." Temari said.

"One man, even an Uchiha, doesn't stand a chance against the Sand's ninja, much less the Kazekage. I don't know what injuries he has, but from what I saw he wasn't faking anything. He could barely stand up and he was filthy." Baki said back.

"From sand?" Gaara asked.

"Some of it, but it was mostly dirt and dry blood. His hair was matted, he looked like he hadn't taken a shower in months."

"Well that goes against what Uchihas are like. Shikamaru said they had a very high level of hygiene, he said they were like cats. Naruto told him that Sasuke would take two showers a day, more if he got into a messy fight. His apartment was the same. Shikamaru searched it when he got out of the hospital, he said it was obsessively clean. It didn't looked lived in and everything had a place, even his fridge was organized by food group and in order of due dates within that food group." Temari said.

"So he's not the type to go more than two days without some form of a shower." Kankuro said.

"He couldn't have gotten that dirty since leaving the Sound." Baki commented.

"What injuries did you see?" Gaara asked.

"I could make out some bruising on his skin, but most of it was covered from the filth that was on him. He just looked rundown and disorientated, but that could have been from the sun. He wouldn't have been used to this heat." Baki answered.

"See what the doctor finds out I guess. I still think we need to be prepared for an attack of some sorts. He can't be trusted." Temari said.

"Baki, send ninja out to collect the parents of these children. They've been waiting long enough to see their child again. Once the doctor has cleared it, I will speak with Sasuke and see what he knows." Gaara said.

"Not alone you won't be." Kankuro said with a protective tone.

"I can handle Sasuke."

"Not only is he an S-Class criminal, he's the only person to ever make you bleed. I'm not leaving you alone with him."

"Kankuro is right. You can't underestimate the Uchiha. Even injured he is a deadly threat. You cannot let your past interactions with him cloud your judgement. Or your loyalty to Naruto." Baki lectured.

"I am aware of that. Nor am I doing any of that. I simply believe something is missing and Sasuke holds the answers. For now do what you can for the children. When Dr. Maki is finished with Sasuke we can speak with him."

The others gave a nod as there was nothing else to say on the matter. All they could do was wait around for when Sasuke would be cleared so they could speak with him. That chance didn't come until three hours later, much longer than any of them had anticipated. Dr. Maki approached the group with a worried look in his eyes.

"Kazekage-Sama, if you would follow me we can speak about the Uchiha's condition."

"Of course."

They followed Dr. Maki over to a private consultation room. Dr. Maki had Sasuke's file and all of his x-rays and scans that he had just completed. He wanted to be able to show Gaara the injuries so there was no room for debate.

"I've performed numerous scans including x-rays and a CT-Scan along with ultrasounds to check for any internal bleeding. I have all of those scans with me to show you. I need you to see and understand the level of damage that has been done to him. To see what has truly happened here, because my gut is telling me something tragic has happened to him."

"What are his injuries?" Gaara asked now very concerned.

"His current injuries include, multiple deep tissue bruising all over both arms, legs, and torso. Along with normal bruising to his face. Four broken ribs, three on the right and one on the left. He has internal bruising to his stomach, liver and both kidneys. He has a three inches skull fracture to the left side of his head. He is also malnourished, dehydrated and has pneumonia. He is also suffering from extreme exhaustion. He has insomnia right now, only sleeping an hour or two a night. It's enough to keep him alive, but it won't do anything for his health. Those are just his current injuries."

"How current are they?" Gaara asked shocked that Sasuke was that injured.

"With the exception of the malnourishment, dehydration, exhaustion and pneumonia, two weeks. The pneumonia has been a month and the rest has been building over the past three years. Now, he does have muscle tone, but that is from a diet of soldier pills and scientifically altered protein bars and powders. It does nothing for his body other than keeping him with muscle tone so he still has the strength to move to an extent."

"Still, how the hell did he get from the Sound to here with a skull fracture and those injuries? He shouldn't have been able to make it." Temari said slightly impressed at the level of determination on Sasuke's part.

"I asked him that actually. He said he had to get them home. Now his older injuries tell a story of horror." Dr. Maki placed the scans up on the special light board so they could all see as he spoke. "CT-Scan and x-rays show past trauma. Previous skull fractures, concussions, almost every bone is broken with the exception of his neck and back. The thick scaring you see on the bones is from being broken and it has healed. It's called remodeling. Based on the remodeling I can see that the broken bones go back three years almost now. He has fifty healed whip lashes all down his back. They are deeply scarred and will always remain that way. I know what Konoha's story about his leaving is, but it's all a lie. His body is telling a completely different story. This young man has been held captive since that night he disappeared."

"He left willingly though. We were there when the Sound Four were trying to get him away from Konoha." Kankuro said.

"Couldn't he have left willingly and then Orochimaru did this to ensure he wouldn't leave? That makes more sense." Temari added.

"Do you see this remodeling right here?" Dr. Maki said pointing to the spot on Sasuke's ribs that he was talking about. "This happened the night he supposedly left. Three broken ribs. He was in a fight. I'm not saying I know what happened fully, but his body tells me he didn't leave willingly. He has scarring around his right ankle from being chained up for the past three years. He has seals on his wrists, ancient seals that I had to look up. It blocks his chakra, but a special twist to the seals allows a Master, to give permission to the slave to use their chakra against specific enemies. It was created close to a thousand years ago when people were used as a literal human weapon. They were treated as slaves to kill and maim whomever their master ordered them to. The last person to possess this seal was the Konoha Council. They were to keep it locked away to ensure no one got ahold of it again."

"And that seal is on Sasuke?" Gaara asked now very interested.

"It is. Based on his blocked chakra and the damage it has done to his body, it has been on for the past three years. He is almost completely blind. He can see roughly a foot in front of him and he has to squint to make it more clear. It is reversible, but the seal needs to be removed. He has also been kept in the dark this whole time. His eyes are extremely sensitive to the light, they are also yellow from lack of nutrients from the sun. Something only time can fix. Another concerning piece of evidence, when I did speak with him, he only talks when he has to and it's always a whisper. Some of the other children that were there closer to a year all whisper. One did say that if you whisper they can't hear you and if they can't hear you, they can't hurt you. He won't talk about anything that has been done to him and when I asked he suffered from a panic attack. He's had two panic attacks within my time with him. This is not a man that willingly left. This is a man that was captured and escaped from hell. I would bet not only my reputation on it but my life."

"Will he recover?" Gaara asked getting a bad feeling about this.

"With time he will. Physically he just needs rest, water and a healthy diet again. He needs medication to clear the pneumonia, but he is refusing everything. He had a panic attack when I tried to get the I.V into him. Mentally he is looking at a long road. The only blessing is that he was never touched sexually. He's not showing any signs and none of the children were ever touched either. He needs the medication otherwise the pneumonia will get worse and kill him. Maybe you will be able to convince him to fight. As of right now he has nothing let in him."

"Does he need to be in the hospital?" Gaara asked.

"For at least three days to make sure he is on the road to recovery. The lights are off in the room because it is very painful to his eyes. The blinds are up slightly to offer a small amount of light. He has to slowly get his eyes adjusted again. He also needs the seal removed or he will be completely blind within the week."

"We still don't have proof that he wasn't there willingly. He could have easily left on his own and Orochimaru held him captive after he got there." Baki pointed out.

"Konoha even said that Sasuke left willingly late one night with the Sound Four. Are we supposed to believe that the most honourable Great Nation is lying?" Kankuro said clearly not believing that Sasuke didn't walk away willingly.

"I can't tell you what to believe. I don't know what happened that night. All I can tell you is what the physical evidence of his body is saying. It is my medical opinion that he did not leave willingly. A medical opinion built on twenty years of experience as a doctor. What you do with the information is up to you."

"Do you know the reason behind the panic attacks?" Gaara asked.

"For certainty, no. I can make an educated assumption if you wish." Dr. Maki continued when Gaara gave a nod. "For the past three years his schedule has been the same. Whether that is the same schedule every day or the same one every week. Either way it has always been the same, predictable. His mind has been able to cope with whatever events happen during that schedule by taking refuge in the predictability. Now, after three years everything is different and his mind is struggling to cope with that. When he becomes overwhelmed or too stressed he has a panic attack. It took close to twenty-five minutes to calm him down each time. It can be managed and it will get better as he adjusts to the break in the schedule."

"I need to speak with him." Gaara said.

"That might be a little difficult. I don't know how up to talking he is. He is also in a desperate need for a shower. He's covered in blood and mud. It's been at least six months since he's been able to get clean. He needs to be moved into a room. Do you wish to have him in one of the criminal rooms?"

"That's where he should be until he is cleared to be taken back to Konoha. Two guards should be posted outside of it at all times." Baki answered.

"No, we're not doing that. I am not going to lock him away somewhere, not until I know what is going on. I'll let you know after I speak with him."

"Gaara." Kankuro started, but Gaara cut him off.

"I am not going to send him anywhere until I know the story. I'll speak with him first and then decide."

"He's in room five right now." Dr. Maki said with understanding in his voice.

Gaara gave a nod and turned to head out. The others followed Gaara and it was clear that they weren't too happy with how Gaara was handling this. Sasuke left willingly, whatever happened to him afterwards shouldn't change that.

"Gaara, I know you are in charge, but you have to remember what we know. We know he left willingly. Konoha wouldn't lie about it and even if they had something to hide they wouldn't have sent a squad out or us out to help them get Sasuke back. Those are facts." Kankuro said.

"I am aware of that, but things can go on in the background that not even the Hokage could know about. I'm not saying Konoha is hiding anything. I need to speak with Sasuke to know his side of the story. What Dr. Maki said about his injuries and his medical opinion brings up questions. Those questions need answers and Sasuke is the only one that has the answers."

"We all support you, but we are also looking out for you." Temari said.

"I know you are." That was all Gaara said as he knocked on the door holding Sasuke before he entered.

Gaara knew it was going to be on the darker side of things he was expecting that. What he wasn't expecting was to see Sasuke not on the bed, but curled up in the darkest corner of the room with his back against the wall and his legs brought up to his chest. Gaara took Sasuke in. He was indeed filthy. There was a slight foul smell in the room that Gaara knew was from Sasuke. He was wearing simple sweat shorts and a t-shirt, both were trashed with filth and holes. To add to all of that was the dark black bruising that covered the parts of his body that weren't dirty. This was never a state that Gaara ever expected to find Sasuke in. He was worth so much more than this. He deserved better. Gaara knew that even if Sasuke did leave willingly, did betray his village, he didn't deserve this. Gaara knew what pain and anger felt like better than anyone. He knew what was inside of Sasuke when they first met. He had seen it clearly in his eyes. Sasuke just needed someone to be there that could understand and Gaara wasn't in any shape to be that person three years ago, but he was in the position to do that now. If he had to send Sasuke back to Konoha he would vouch for him and defend him. He owed Sasuke that much.

At the sound of the door opening Sasuke turned his head towards that direction. He couldn't see the door, but he knew from walking into the room where it was. He didn't know who was on the other side. He wasn't able to pick up any chakra, hadn't been able to for three months now. He had no choice, but to wait until they either came close enough or they spoke.

"Sasuke?" Gaara said, as he moved closer.

Sasuke didn't know why he was surprised to find Gaara here. He supposed it would make sense. Afterall he was apparently a big bad S-Class criminal that is in the Bingo Book. The children said Gaara was the Kazekage, he would want to personally see to it that he was thrown into a cell and then sent back to Konoha. When Sasuke didn't say anything Gaara moved closer so Sasuke would be able to see him. He didn't want to crowd Sasuke, but he had to get closer if Sasuke was going to see him.

"My siblings are here along with my old sensei, Baki. I wish to speak to you about what has happened. You are very injured Sasuke and Dr. Maki has told me you are refusing the medicine that you need to be healthy again. You understand that without it you will die from the pneumonia?" Gaara kept his voice calm and even. He didn't want to talk down to Sasuke, but honestly he was afraid Sasuke would break if he spoke with any harshness to his voice. Gaara could see Sasuke's mouth moving, but he couldn't hear what he had said. Gaara bent down so he was now eye level with Sasuke. "I'm sorry I didn't hear you Sasuke. Can you repeat what you said?"

Sasuke squinted so he could have a clearer view of Gaara as he spoke. "Better dead."

Sasuke's voice was just barely a whisper and the others had no choice, but to move closer just to hear what was being said.

"Why do you think that Sasuke?" Gaara asked.

"You're going to send me back to Konoha. They'll send me back there. I can't be back there. Better to be dead." Sasuke whispered and Gaara could hear the raw pain in his voice.

"You mean the Sound?"

Sasuke just gave a shaky nod.

"Why would Konoha send you back to the Sound Sasuke?"

"They let them take me."

"Who did?"

"Don't know. Someone did."

"Sasuke, three years ago roughly you left Konoha with the Sound Four. A Konoha squad went after you and had to fight the Sound Four while you got away."

"No. No. That didn't happen."

"Sasuke, I was there. How do you explain that if it didn't happen?"

Sasuke shook his head slowly as he spoke. "I don't know. I don't know." Sasuke's voice was not only a whisper, but it sounded broken. He truly had no answer to that question.

"You don't know because it happened." Kankuro said with an edge to his voice.

"No." Sasuke said again.

"What did happen Sasuke?" Gaara asked calmly.

"Won't believe me. You believe them, everyone does. No one will believe me. Master is right about that. It's better to be dead. I can't go back. I can't go back." Sasuke's breathing was starting to pick up and Gaara knew he was feeling overwhelmed.

"It's ok Sasuke. Tell me what happened. I'll believe you."

"Why?"

It was clear to Gaara that Sasuke never expected anyone to ever believe him about this. He had already accepted the fact that Konoha would win out over him on this one. No one would trust his word over anyone.

"Because my gut is telling me something is wrong. There are things that are not adding up. If facts are not adding up then one of those facts has to be wrong. Your injuries both current and past, your condition, that is not something that can be interpreted wrong. I need to know what happened Sasuke so I know how to handle this situation. Please."

"I don't." Sasuke started but then stopped and brought his hands up to his eyes and pressed the palm of his hands into his eyes. His head was killing him and making it hard to focus and think.

"The exhaustion and skull fracture will make him easily confused and have a hard time thinking clearly. I know you want answers Kazekage-Sama, but you might not be able to until he is better healed." Baki pointed out.

"Not to mention that he might be confused about what happened and telling us something that isn't true." Temari added.

"He knows what happened. It's ok Sasuke, take all the time you need. Take a few breaths, it'll help clear your mind." Gaara said calmly. He didn't care how long this took he was going to get to the bottom of this. He was not going to be sending Sasuke back to Konoha if they had anything to do with what happened to him.

Sasuke took a few minutes to try and get his mind to focus once again. When he was ready he put his hands back down and spoke. "The Sound Four attacked me that night. They wanted me to go with them to the Sound, but I refused. We fought and they left. Told me to think it over and they would have their answer come morning. I went home. Someone must have been in there. I didn't sense anyone. Something was put over my mouth and nose from behind. It smelt like chemicals. Everything went dark and then I woke up in that room."

"What happened in that room Sasuke?" Gaara asked gently.

Sasuke quickly shook his head as his breathing picked up. This was not a conversation that Sasuke was ready for. He couldn't handle anymore of this right now. He needed rest and to heal. He was done and Gaara couldn't blame him.

"It's ok Sasuke, you're safe here. We don't have to talk about it until you are ready. Take some deep breaths, it's ok."

Gaara gave Sasuke a moment to get his breathing back under control before he continued.

"Can I see your wrists Sasuke to see the seals? I'd like to get them off from you, but I need to see them to know what to look for."

Sasuke moved his arms and Gaara could see the tremble in his body. Gaara slowly moved his hands over to Sasuke's wrists. He took in the seals. They weren't anything he had seen before. He would need to search through records to see if there was some way to get them off. Sasuke's body needed the seals removed so he would get his eyesight back fully.

"Thank-you Sasuke. I want to help you, I'm going to help you. I need to do some research on how to remove these seals. Hopefully it won't take long to find. In the meantime you are seriously injured. I'm going to have Dr. Maki move you to a private room, there will be a private bathroom that you can use to get cleaned up with some clean clothes. I just need something from you."

"What?" Gaara could hear the slight fear in Sasuke's voice and he knew that Sasuke was expecting the worse.

"I need you to keep fighting. I can't imagine what you have been through, but giving up is not the answer. I can help you Sasuke. I can give you a safe place to be, but you need to fight to live. That means taking the medicine that Dr. Maki gives to you. Getting healthy again. I need you to fight to live. Can you do that for me Sasuke?"

"I don't have to go back?"

"No Sasuke. I'm not going to let anyone send you back there. You're safe now."

"Ok."

"Good. I'll go and inform Dr. Maki. I will be back to check in on you shortly." Gaara said, as he stood back up.

He made his way towards the door and the others followed behind him. Once it was closed Baki placed his hand on Gaara's forearm and guided him over to a quiet spot within the hallway.

"You cannot do this. I know you are the Kazekage, but I would not be doing my job as an advisor if I allowed you to do this. You could be starting a war with Konoha. You have to inform them that he is here."

"And then what happens to him? They come and collect him and then what? Place him in a cell or send him back to the Sound? I refuse to do that to him."

"We don't even know if what he said is true. He could be lying or confused from his injuries to give us a proper explanation. He could have betrayed his village." Kankuro argued.

"He didn't though. Even if he is confused and left willingly, did he really betray them? He was a thirteen year old boy that watched his family being slaughtered by his own brother. He had to live in the same house where his parents were killed until he graduated from the academy and could get an apartment. He didn't do anything criminal. He acted out based on pain and emotions. I have done unspeakable things to people and yet I have been forgiven and placed within leadership." Gaara said back.

"You have a tailed beast inside of you. Sasuke doesn't." Temari pointed out.

"No, but he has his own demons he has to face each and every day. Even if he did leave willingly, he's paid for that decision more times over. I refuse to send him back to a village that will either lock him away for the rest of his life, kill him or send him to Orochimaru. And if there is even the slightest chance that what he said is the truth, we need to know about it. We need to know if someone in Konoha has done this to him. We need to know if the same person that captured Sasuke is the same as the one kidnapping these children. There is more to all of this and we need Sasuke for that."

"At least allow me to perform the memory walk technique to see if what he is saying is true. We would at least have answers for that. And if this is true I will support your decision fully." Baki said.

"Very well. I'll inform Dr. Maki to give Sasuke a light sedative so he won't be in destress when you perform it." Gaara agreed, it was a good idea to perform the technique so they could get confirmation one way or the other.

"I'll go back and get the scroll that is needed and start the research. We should have a seal that will be able to remove the one on him." Baki said looking to get the ball rolling.

"I'll be along once I speak with Dr. Maki." Gaara said.

Baki gave a nod and turned to head out. The others headed off to where Dr. Maki had been waiting.

"Kazekage-Sama, have you come to a decision regarding the Uchiha?"

"I want him moved to a private room, preferably on a floor that is not too busy. He has agreed to the medicine. If you could make sure that there are some clothes in the room for him to change into as well. I would also like for you to give him a light sedative once he is cleaned up."

"Why the need for one?"

"I'd like to perform a technique on him to verify his accounts as well as to remove the seals. It may be painful to remove the seals. He is also struggling mentally as you said and it would help to calm him down enough to hopefully sleep."

"I can give him a mild sedative, but only because I would agree that he needs one to help him calm down enough to sleep. I will place him up on the eighth floor, it is practically empty right now. I'll give him some time to clean up before I administer the sedative."

"I'll check in with you before we perform the jutsus."

"I would appreciate that. If there is nothing else I would like to get him settled."

"That was all. Thank-you."

Dr. Maki gave a nod and headed off for Sasuke's room to have him situated.

"Are you sure about this?" Temari asked her brother.

"I'm sure I do not wish to live to regret this moment. Sending Sasuke back without an investigation is wrong. It is not a regret I am prepared to live with."

"Then we support you on this, but please be careful." Kankuro said.

"I know he didn't leave willingly. For these past three years I've had doubts about it. He was angry and in pain, but not to the level of betraying his own village. He was growing close with his team, with Naruto. It didn't feel right and now I know why. There are still more answers left, a lot more, hopefully this memory walk will give us a place to start." Gaara said, as he started to make his way back towards the entrance. He had to do some research first before he would be able to see Sasuke again for the memory walk and hopefully he would be able to remove the seals.

"I think you are setting yourself up to be disappointed. It could still come back that he is confused and he did leave willingly." Kankuro said.

"And his story just happens to be the same as the ones we got from the kids? He happens to have seals on his wrists that came from Konoha? Even you have to admit Kankuro that something isn't right here." Gaara said.

"I'm not saying there aren't some weird things in the story, but it could also be explained away. I just don't want you setting yourself up to be disappointed or giving yourself false hope. At least until Baki does the memory walk. If it turns out that Sasuke is telling the truth and he didn't leave willingly, then I will support you completely with keeping him here and protecting him. All I'm saying is that we should wait until we know more."

"He's right Gaara, let's wait and see what the facts are first and then decide how to proceed." Temari added.

"I am."

They all made their way back to the Kazekage Palace. Once there they started to go through all the research they had on something that would work to remove the seals on Sasuke's wrists. He was never going to recover from the past three years with those seals on him. He would soon be blind if they were not removed within the week and that was unacceptable to Gaara. It was three hours later when they were finally making their way back to the hospital. They were able to find a jutsu that should work to remove the seals. It wasn't designed for that purpose, but Baki was confident that it would work. When they arrived at the hospital they found Dr. Maki coming out of an exam room. Dr. Maki went over to the four of them and guided them to an empty corner in the busy emergency room.

"I have given Sasuke a mild sedative when you left last. A nurse has been in to check on him. He is still awake. The sedative did not put him to sleep like I had thought it would. It also took me and three other nurses to hold him down just to administer it. He is very afraid of needles and given his tolerance for medication, he's been subjected to some of the experiments that the other children have suffered through. He also wasn't able to tolerate the I.V line for the medication going into his arm. He also has yet to take a shower and he won't go near the bed. We are seeing the same behaviour with the children that had been there the longest. They were tortured into the behaviour and it will be awhile before they are able to break out of it." Dr. Maki said sadly.

"What experiments do you think he was subjected to?" Gaara asked.

"It's hard to say, only he would have the answers. Some of the children here were given poisons in small amounts, it would have still be extremely painful for them, but not enough to die. The purpose would be to eventually get them immune to that poison. Some were restrained and given a drug just so they could watch what it would do to a person. They were all beaten and tortured if they did something they did not have permission to do from Orochimaru. They all call him Master. The psychological damage is extreme for some of them. Now, Sasuke is an Uchiha and that comes with a very stubborn will power. I think he will break through and recover, but it will take someone with a great deal of patience and understanding to help him along the way. I know you need to do this technique, I'm just not sure how well he'll sit for it."

"We found a way to remove the seals on his wrists. We can use that as our bargaining chip. I think it'll be fine, even without the sedative. Sasuke wants to prove that he didn't leave on his own accord. I don't think he'll fight us on this. Afterwards I will try my best to get him cleaned up and sleeping. I will also speak with him again about the medication." Gaara said.

"Very well. You know which room he is in. If you do not need me there for this I will continue to help these children."

"We will be fine. Let me know if you discover anything that could help us find whomever took them."

"Of course, right away Kazekage-Sama."

With that Gaara and the others headed over to the elevator and up to the floor Sasuke was on. Gaara had been hoping that Sasuke would be asleep for this, but it seemed like the past three years were more extreme then they had expected. Still, Gaara was confident that he would be able to get Sasuke calm enough for them to perform both Jutsus. Sasuke didn't want to be back in the Sound or in Konoha, so he should be willing to allow the memory walk to prove that he was not lying. When they got to Sasuke's room Gaara made sure he knocked first before he opened the door. The room was the same as the one on the lower level, but this time Sasuke was in the top left hand corner of the room sitting underneath the window where the small amount of sunlight was shining through. Gaara could see Sasuke squinting, trying to see who had entered.

"It's me Sasuke, my siblings and Baki as well. How are you feeling? Dr. Maki said you didn't take the medication to cure your pneumonia." Gaara made sure he kept his voice gentle. The last thing he wanted to do was scare Sasuke or have him thinking that he was his new Master.

Gaara bent down in front of Sasuke so he could hear him speak.

"Tried. I don't like needles."

"After what you have been through I would imagine not. I'm sorry I didn't think it would bother you. I can speak with Dr. Maki about you taking the medicine in pill form. Would that be better for you Sasuke?"

"I can try."

"That's all I ask of you Sasuke, is that you try. We'll take it one problem at a time and work our way through until you are back to being strong and healthy again. I'd like to have Baki try something. It's a jutsu where you can see someone's memories. It doesn't hurt you at all. You had said you didn't really know what happened around the time of your leaving. You said you were taken and I believe you Sasuke, but this jutsu would let Baki see it and that would allow us to keep you safe here in the Sand. Protected. Would you let him do this Sasuke?"

"Will I see it?" The fear was clear in Sasuke's voice and Gaara hated it.

"No Sasuke, you won't see anything he does. And he will only focus on those memories. He just needs you to keep eye contact with him. Do you think you can do that?"

Sasuke gave a shaky nod. It was clear he was uncomfortable with the idea of someone accessing his memories, but he also knew he didn't have much of a choice. If he wanted to stay here in the Sand he had to prove that he was telling the truth and so far this was the only way to do that. Baki moved over to them and bent down in front of Sasuke.

"I'm going to start now. Can you see me?"

"Sort of."

"I'm going to place my hand on your chin just to lift your head to the right level so your eyes will make contact with mine ok?" Baki said doing his best to stay calm and wait for when Sasuke gave permission.

When Sasuke gave a small nod Baki moved his hand and positioned Sasuke's head to the right level. He then began to make the hand seals as Gaara spoke.

"Keep eye contact right there Sasuke. It won't take long."

With the last hand seal complete Baki was able to jump into Sasuke's memories. He focused on the Sound Four and anything that had to do with them. He saw the fight on the rooftop and he followed Sasuke from there. He saw that Sasuke went back to his apartment. He saw Sasuke patch himself up. He then saw flashes of something going over Sasuke's mouth from behind. He couldn't make out who the person was, because they were Sasuke's memories and he had no idea himself. All he could see was what Sasuke had gone through. It was enough though for him to know that Sasuke had been telling the truth. He was captured and not a willing participant like they were all led to believe. The next memory he saw was Sasuke chained up in a room covered in wood panels. More flashes came to Baki as he saw that Sasuke was in a cell with Orochimaru. Sasuke getting the seals on him. Sasuke being beaten and tortured. Sasuke trying to fight back, but with the seals he couldn't. Orochimaru forcing him to torture and kill people. Baki could feel the pain and anguish that Sasuke had been feeling in those moments. Baki could feel his heart breaking slightly. Sasuke was only a thirteen year old boy when this started, he didn't deserve any of that pain. Baki had seen enough and he didn't want to invade on the boy's privacy any more than he already did. He broke the eye contact before he spoke.

"Thank-you Sasuke. I'm so sorry." Baki said with a deep emotion to his voice.

"What did you see?" Kankuro asked.

"He told the truth. He didn't see who took him so I couldn't either. But he was taken and held captive this whole time. Whoever took him has to be who took the others."

"Oh my god." Temari said softly, shocked that Sasuke had been telling the truth and wasn't just confused with his injuries.

"Please don't make me go back." Sasuke whispered, but only Gaara and Baki could hear him.

"No Sasuke, I give you my word you will never have to go back there or to Konoha ever again. You're safe here now. The Sand will protect you." Gaara said with strength.

"Sasuke, we found a seal that should work to remove the ones on you. I'd like to perform it. It shouldn't hurt at all. Would you let me?" Baki asked, now making sure he handled Sasuke very gently as to not cause any distress in the traumatized boy.

"You can take them off?" Sasuke asked surprised that someone had found a way.

"I can yes." Baki said.

"Will Master know they are gone?"

"No Sasuke. Orochimaru won't know." Baki said.

"He'll come. He'll know I only took the Sand children. He'll find me." Sasuke's breathing began to pick up and they could tell he was on the verge of having a panic attack.

"Sasuke, I need you to listen to my voice." Gaara started calmly. "Focus on my voice. I need you to take some nice slow and deep breaths. It's ok, you are safe here. Focus on your breathing and calm it down."

Sasuke closed his eyes and tried to get his breathing back under control. He couldn't help the panic from taking him over whenever he thought about Orochimaru. He didn't think about what would happen when he got free. All he could think about was getting free and now that he seemed to be close to being free his mind couldn't stop thinking about what would happen when Orochimaru got ahold of him again. After a few moments Sasuke was able to get his breathing back under control once again. He opened his eyes and he could see that Gaara wasn't angry with him. Understanding was clear in his eyes.

"That's good Sasuke. I know it's hard to believe, but I'm not going to let him get you. You are safe here in the Sand. We will protect you from the Sound and from Konoha. I'm not going to let anyone take you." Gaara said with strength in his voice that did help Sasuke feel slightly better.

"We can ensure that the village keeps your return quiet. We will inform everyone that you did not leave willingly, that you were a captive to this organization that has been taking our children. Everyone will keep it quiet." Baki added.

"I can really stay?" Sasuke asked and they could hear the shock in his quiet voice.

"Yes Sasuke. You don't have to go anywhere. You can stay here and recover. Will you let Baki remove the seals?" Gaara asked.

Sasuke hesitated for a moment before he gave a nod. Baki worked quickly so Sasuke wouldn't have the chance to change his mind. After five minutes both seals disappeared and Sasuke couldn't help but run his fingers over his now bare wrists.

"Can you leave us alone?" Gaara said to the others in the room.

Baki gave a nod and moved back.

"We'll be right outside." Temari said with understanding.

Once they were alone Sasuke spoke.

"What happens now?"

"Now, it's time to get you healthy again. You need to take the medicine Sasuke, otherwise you will continue to get sicker and eventually it will kill you. If Dr. Maki gives you the medication in a pill form will you take it?"

"Ok."

"Can I ask you something?" When Sasuke just gave a nod Gaara spoke. "Why didn't you take a shower when you came in here?"

"Not allowed."

"Same as being in a bed?"

Sasuke gave a nod.

"I don't know what you have been through Sasuke, but I know it couldn't have been easy for you. To be trapped and at someone's mercy, sometimes when that happens your mind will focus on following all of the rules, no matter how hard they are, because then you will be safer. He can't hurt you if you didn't do anything wrong. But you are not there anymore Sasuke. You don't have to follow his rules anymore. I know it won't be instant. I know it's going to take some time for you to get back into a normal routine. To live how you used to live before all of this. You just have to take it slow."

"I didn't think this far." Sasuke softly admitted.

"That's common Sasuke. When you are in a bad situation, all you can think about is escaping it. People don't think about what they are going to do once they do escape. The important thing is that you did escape. You got free Sasuke and you got those children free with you. You did really good Sasuke. I'm proud of you. And now it's time for you to be brave again and take the next step to being completely free from him and his control over you."

"Shower." Sasuke said in understanding.

"You can do it Sasuke. Look at everything you have survived and done up until this point. A shower is easy and you must be looking forward to being clean again. I know Uchihas are very picky about hygiene. You can do this."

Sasuke gave an unsure shaky nod, but at least he was willing to try this. Gaara moved back so Sasuke could get up. He headed into the bathroom as Gaara spoke.

"I'll stay out here so no one comes in." Gaara was hoping that would make Sasuke feel safer.

Sasuke closed the door and let out a shaky breath. Something as simple as taking a shower shouldn't be this hard, but it was. He wanted to be clean, god he wanted that more than anything in this world. All he could hear was Orochimaru's voice telling him that he wasn't allowed. Sasuke knew logically that voice would get quiet again after some time. He had to put in the work, but the voice would go away. The first time would be the hardest and each time after that it would get easier. Sasuke moved over to the shower and with a shaky hand reached out and turned it on. His whole body was trembling with defying Orochimaru, but he forced himself to push past it. With the temperature right Sasuke removed his filthy clothes and got in. The water in the Sound had always been cold, Sasuke hated it. He didn't have the water hot right now, but he made sure it was warmer this time. It wasn't hot, but it wasn't cold either. Sasuke stood under the water, his whole body shaking, as the water around him turned brown. Sasuke could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He could feel his breathing tightening and he knew that if he wasn't careful he would have a panic attack. He wasn't sure when the panic attacks started, but he had slowly begun to notice them a year ago whenever something went against his daily routine. Whenever Orochimaru decided that he had to do something different for him that day. Sasuke would start to feel light headed and a tightness in his chest. From there it grew into full blown panic attacks. Sasuke honestly had no idea how he managed not to have one all the way from the Sound to here.

"A lot has been happening in the past three years. I don't know much about what Konoha has been up to, but I know from Naruto he has been very busy. He comes by when he can. He's been off training with Jiraiya these past three years. He likes to brag about what he has learnt whenever I see him."

Sasuke could hear Gaara's voice talking to him. He didn't know why Gaara was when Gaara knew he wouldn't be able to talk loud enough for Gaara to hear anything back. Hearing Gaara's voice though forced Sasuke's mind to focus on the present, on something other than being in a shower right now. Sasuke stood there listening to Gaara continue to talk as it was calming his nerves back down.

"I took over the Sand not long after your capture. My father was killed by Orochimaru before the Chounin Exams and we didn't know. Afterwards I spent six months learning how to be the Kazekage before I was given the title officially. It is tradition in the Sand for the title to be inherited, my siblings did not want the title and after Naruto I had pledged to do right by this village and the world. Being the Kazekage was the best way to do that."

Sasuke felt his heart rate go back down to normal. He began to wash his hair as he continued to listen to Gaara's soothing voice.

"It was not easy. The Council wanted me to take the position and the village was surprisingly supportive of the idea. Traditionally the Kazekage is the strongest in the village and even if they all feared me for my tailed beast, they also knew I was the most powerful among the village. I've worked hard to obtain their trust and respect. It was a great deal to learn, more than I thought there was. My Father made it look so easy all those years, but I suppose parents are good at that. My siblings and my old sensei, Baki, have been by my side the whole way. I couldn't have done it without them. I also have complete control over my tailed beast now, something I am very thankful for."

Sasuke ended up washing his hair three times just to get all of the dirt and blood out of it. When the water finally ran clean he proceeded to very carefully wash his body. He found himself enjoying listening to Gaara talking, his voice was soothing and eased Sasuke's fears.

"The village has grown under my command. I've expanded as much as I could without having to go outside of the valley, though I have been considering it. It would be a nightmare for protection though. At least everyone in the valley is protected by the walls on all sides. We would see the attack coming easily. If we expanded to outside of the valley we would be putting people at risk. I have yet to discover a way to increase our security out there. I fear that eventually the village will stall in development with having such limited space. People would also like to have room for houses to raise their families in. We mostly have apartments. It is a problem for another day, but one I would like to see happen in my time."

That problem seemed easy to Sasuke to fix. It would be a lot of work, but it would be an easy solution. He didn't say anything though, it wasn't like Gaara would be able to hear him and even if he could, it wasn't his place to speak out of turn like that. Gaara was willingly letting him stay here in the Sand, he was offering protection. Sasuke was not going to be going and making any waves or do anything to stand out. All he truly wanted to do was hide right now. Once he was confident that he was clean he got out of the shower and dried off. He grabbed the new clothes that were left for him, a simple grey pair of sweatpants and a long sleeved grey shirt. He refused to look in the mirror, not wanting to see what had become of him. Sasuke headed out and noticed that Gaara was standing by the bed. He gave Sasuke a soft smile as he spoke.

"You look much better. You must feel better."

Sasuke just gave a nod.

"I will go and get Dr. Maki so he can get you started on your medication. Why don't you lay down and rest, your body needs it."

"Ok."

Gaara knew that Sasuke was agreeing, because he didn't know what else to do. Gaara couldn't blame him. For the past three years everything for Sasuke had been the same thing and now he was here in a village he had never been in before, breaking rules that were tortured into him. None of this was easy on Sasuke, but Gaara was proud that he was trying his best right now. Gaara headed out and he could see his siblings and Baki standing off to the side along with Dr. Maki. Gaara went over and spoke.

"He has agreed to take the medication in pill form. Would that be possible?"

"It is. I have it with me. How is he?"

"I was able to get him to take a shower. He's struggling right now I think with what to do with himself. He's anxious and nervous."

"That is to be expected. He needs time to adapt and heal from the mental abuse he has been through. You were able to get him to agree to the medication and got him to take a shower. That is a huge accomplishment, I wouldn't push on anything else today. If he doesn't go onto the bed, leave it for now. If you push too much his mind won't be able to tolerate it and he'll go backwards in his recovery." Dr. Maki explained.

"I'll be careful with him. Baki, did you see anything that we could use?"

"I could only see and hear what Sasuke did. When Sasuke was grabbed, right before he went unconscious I did hear one of his attackers saying, 'I can't believe Konoha is giving this one up.' I'm not sure if Sasuke even remembers that, but it was in his memory box. He was also taken to a room just like the children were and then he was in a cell at the Sound. I saw flashes of him being tortured, of men and women screaming in pain. I could feel the pain Sasuke was in. Orochimaru tortured him until he hurt or even killed people. Something has to be done." Baki said with anger building in his tone.

He didn't have any sort of personal connection to Sasuke. What he did have is a hatred towards anyone that harmed a child. Sasuke should never have been in that position. Whoever was behind this on Konoha's end needed to be killed for what torture Sasuke was forced to endure.

"We'll need to tread carefully. We don't know who we can trust in Konoha." Kankuro said.

"I could ask Shikamaru if he had heard anything." Temari suggested.

"No, I want to keep this close to the chest. We need to do some of our own research and see. We know the Sound is involved in this kidnapping ring. We need to get eyes on Sound ninjas and follow them, see where they go and who they talk to. I'll talk to Sasuke about this in a few days if he is up for it and see what he knows." Gaara said.

"We also don't know if there are more children there or not. Sasuke grabbed those in the Sand, but we have no idea who else was there. We need to check that place out. One of the other children should know where it was." Kankuro said.

"I'll have an ANBU squad go out to the area and scout. I'm hoping once the children have spent some time with their parents, they'll be able to talk more about what happened. Their parents might get more information out of them. I need to set up an announcement about Sasuke and inform the ANBU. I want a squad on the hospital until we know he is safe."

"What about when he is no longer in the hospital? Where will he go?" Temari asked.

"He'll stay with me. I have that spare room." Gaara easily said.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean when we moved out to give us all some space now that we're older, that didn't mean you should be hiding a wanted s-class criminal in your apartment." Kankuro said not sure having Sasuke that close to his brother would be a good idea.

"He's no danger to me. And with Konoha and the Sound looking for him, I'm not going to take the chance of someone finding him. He's in no condition to be fighting right now. He needs time to heal and a safe place to do that in. He should feel safer being in my apartment. I can also keep an eye on him and make sure he is eating and recovering."

"I would agree that Sasuke being alone while recovering is not a good idea. He needs support and to be somewhere he feels safe to properly recover." Dr. Maki agreed.

"If you are sure about this, then ok." Kankuro said.

"It'll be fine. Dr. Maki and I will go back in there and make sure Sasuke takes his medication, then we can go back to the Palace and get everything in motion."

"Take your time." Temari said.

Gaara and Dr. Maki headed back inside the room to see Sasuke back in that corner laying down on the floor. Sasuke sat up once he heard the door opening.

"Hello Sasuke, it's good to see that you took a shower and got into some new clothes. You must be feeling better and refreshed after that. I know I would. I have your medicine for you." Dr. Maki said, as he poured some water into a plastic cup before he went over and handed them to Sasuke, making sure Sasuke had a good grip on them. "I know you are not a fan of needles, so in order to keep yourself hydrated, I need you to try and drink as much water as you can. This medication might make you tired so don't worry if that happens it's completely normal."

Sasuke looked down at the pill and both Dr. Maki and Gaara didn't say anything. They knew that Sasuke needed a moment to get his mind through this. There was no telling just what type of medication or poison Orochimaru had forced on him over the past three years. With a shaky hand Sasuke took the medicine and a drink before Dr. Maki took the cup back and placed in back beside the bed. He then grabbed a pillow and blanket and went back over to Sasuke and placed the pillow down on the floor and handed Sasuke the blanket. The confusion was clear on Sasuke's face.

"You have done a wonderful job today Sasuke. You freed ten children, you allowed me to perform those tests on you, you told Kazekage-Sama the truth behind your disappearance, you got the seals removed, you took a shower, got changed and took your medication. You accomplished a lot, you stood strong against your fears today. We don't need to push it. Eventually you will be ready to sleep in a bed again and I have a feeling once you do you will never want to get out of it. But until then it's ok if you sleep here. You sleeping is more important than where you are sleeping." Dr. Maki explained.

"I'm going to head back to the office Sasuke. I'm going to inform the village that you are not an exile and you being here needs to be kept a secret. Everyone will follow my order and believe me when I tell them that you were captured and not a willing participant. For now I will also have an ANBU squad stationed around the hospital to give you added protection. I don't want you to worry about your safety. You are safe here."

"I will also be around for the rest of the day. I'll come by and check in on you Sasuke. The best thing you can do right now is sleep. Your body desperately needs it."

"Ok." Sasuke said softly once again.

"I'll be back later to check in on you Sasuke. Sleep well." Gaara said before him and Dr. Maki headed out of the room.

Gaara and his siblings made their way back to the Kazekage Palace to get started on everything. There was a lot they needed to go over and Gaara wanted to get started on it right away. He also wanted to come by tonight to sit with Sasuke and see if there was anything else he could get out of him. If nothing else he wanted Sasuke to start to trust him and get to know him as they would be living together once Sasuke was cleared to leave the hospital. With any luck Sasuke would start to recover now that he was no longer being tortured and mentally abused. Gaara didn't care though how long it took to get Sasuke back to being healthy once again. He owed it to Naruto and he owed it to Sasuke to be there for him and make sure he came out of this stronger than ever. He was not going to let Sasuke fall into darkness. He was not going to let the best parts of Sasuke die. He would fight and one day Sasuke would be right there beside him fighting as well. Until then Gaara had no problem being the strong one.

Once he was alone Sasuke laid down with his head on the pillow and put the blanket over himself. He hadn't been able to sleep with a pillow or blanket in three years and he did find that he had missed the small comfort. He was exhausted and he knew he should sleep, but it wasn't that easy for him. Sasuke closed his eyes and figured he would lay here like that and maybe his mind would shut off enough to allow himself to fall asleep.


End file.
